some have achieved international recognition for their work and play a leading role in professional bodies. RPS seeks to manage and reduce its own environmental impact. All businesses in the Group are required to put in place systems to ensure that they identify and reduce potential environmental liabilities.

Using these management techniques, RPS endeavours to:

  • comply with all relevant national and regional legislation as a minimum standard;
  • comply with codes of practice and other requirements such as those specified by regulators and our clients;
  • utilise suppliers that offer products which are sustainable, recyclable or environmentally sensitive wherever practicable and economic;
  • promote practical energy efficiency and waste minimisation measures; and
  • provide a shared inter-office IT network and communications technology that reduces the need for business travel.

In order to achieve this RPS:

  • ensures employees are trained and motivated to conduct their activities in an environmentally responsible manner;
  • reviews the policy on a regular basis to take into account any new developments in legislation, or environmental management or shareholder expectations; and
  • allocates sufficient management resources to ensure effective implementation of the environmental policies.

A growing proportion of the Group has achieved ISO14001, the internationally recognised environmental management system standard. By the end of 2008 40.7% (up from 22.6%) of our employees work in offices that have had third party certification to the standard.

RPS has only a small impact on waste as there are comprehensive recycling facilities at most of our offices.

Climate Change
RPS has extensive skills that enable us to understand and advise upon the causes and effects of climate change.

RPS undertakes projects that involve developing strategies to reduce our client's carbon emissions and adapt buildings and infrastructure to cope with anticipated climatic changes. We anticipate the workload in this area will increase materially in coming years.

RPS has undertaken to measure the carbon footprint of its own activities and has set itself the challenge of reducing the (per capita) energy use by 5% each year. RPS successfully achieved its goal in 2008 with an estimated carbon footprint of about 9,400 tonnes, equivalent to 2.1 tonnes for each employee.

Energy Management
Consumption of energy - primarily electricity and natural gas - in offices has a direct impact on carbon emissions. In 2008, RPS developed its programme to measure the impact of energy use and introduced a Group-wide initiative to reduce consumption.

Over 70% of electricity purchased in the UK is bought of a 'Green Tariff '. This is from energy sources that are either derived from renewable sources such as wind, capture waste energy such as landfill gas or are from 'good quality' combined heat and power plants.

As part of its long-term planning strategy RPS will be introducing minimum environmental standards for new offices that will also be taken into consideration whilst refurbishing offices. Over the medium term this should make a significant contribution to the reduction in the total energy demand.